Cold Lake, Alberta
| City of Cold Lake | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Alberta |
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| Region | Central Alberta | ||
| Census division | 12 | ||
| Incorporated | Town: 1996 | ||
| City: 2000 | |||
| Government [1] | |||
| - Mayor | Allan Buck | ||
| - Manager | Ron McCullough | ||
| - Governing body | Cold Lake City Council | ||
| - MP | Brian Storseth | ||
| - MLA | Denis Ducharme | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | km² ( sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | m ( ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[2] | |||
| - City | |||
| - Density | /km² (/sq mi) | ||
| Population rank: 87 | |||
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | ||
| Postal code span | T9M | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-780 | ||
| Highways | Highway 28 Highway 55 |
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| Website: City of Cold Lake | |||
Cold Lake is a city in northeastern Alberta, Canada, named after the lake it is situated near. Cold Lake itself was formerly known as Coldwater Lake.
History
The Town of Cold Lake amalgamated with the nearby communities of Grand Centre and the civilian areas of CFB Cold Lake (also known as Medley) in 1996. The three communities decided to keep the name Cold Lake, and on October 1, 2000, the town became Alberta's newest city. The former area of Grand Centre became Cold Lake South, and the original Cold Lake became known as Cold Lake North.[3]
Formerly known as Cold Lake Beach, the name Medley was adopted during the early 1950s during a period of rapid growth at a time when RCAF Station Cold Lake was under construction.
Geography
The city is situated in Alberta's "Lakeland" district, 300 km northeast of Edmonton, near the Alberta-Saskatchewan provincial border. The area surrounding the city is sparsely populated, and consists mostly of farmland. The Canadian Forces Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR), located to the north of the city, is the northern equivalent to the United States Air Force's Nellis Air Force Range.
Demographics
In 2006, Cold Lake had a population of 11,991 living in 4,834 dwellings, a 4.1% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of km² ( sq mi) and a population density of /km² (/sq mi).[2]
Economy
The city's economy is inextricably linked to military spending at CFB Cold Lake. The region also supports oil and gas exploration and production. The Athabasca Oil Sands project in Fort McMurray is having a growing influence in the region as well.
Every year Cold Lake hosts military forces from around the world for Exercise Maple Flag, a training exercise where pilots and support staff of NATO allies can take advantage of the Air Weapons Range and relatively open rural air space. Running for 6 weeks and starting in May of each year, commercial accommodations in the entire region are left with little to no vacancy. This annual exercise contributes a substantial amount of capital into these industries and other hospitality-related businesses.
Recreation
Cold Lake is situated near a large number of campgrounds due to its proximity to the lake. The M.D. campground has powered sites, shower facilities with flush toilets, a covered camp picnic area, and a lookout. The Cold Lake Provincial Park has a large number of sites, and is more secluded than the M.D. site (which is surrounded by development). The Provincial campground boasts a wilderness trail system, a beach, boatlaunch and a powered section.
Kinosoo Beach is a favorite destination during the hot summer months between June and August.
The Iron Horse Trail, a recreational trail situated on a former railway line (see rail trail) has its eastern-most terminus in Cold Lake.
Recreational pastimes include:
- Hockey[4]
- Martial Arts
- Swimming
- Bowling
- Curling
- Golf
- Horseback Riding
- 4H (in Cherry Grove)
- Rodeo (Cold Lake Ag Society)
- Dance
- Sailing
- Boating
- Fishing
- Downhill Skiing[5]
Politics
The last local election was held in 2004, seeing 21 councillor candidates and 2 mayoral candidates. This is in large part due to the previous council having caused much controversy, which resulted in only Fran Jordan returning.
- Raymond Coates, 1996-1998
- Hansa Thaleshvar, 1998-2004
- Allen Buck, 2004-present
The current councillors of Cold Lake are Kelvin Plain, Fran Jordan, Armand Gagnier, Jerry Kolewaski, Craig Copeland, and Debra Pelechosky.
At the provincial level, the city is in the district of Bonnyville-Cold Lake. Its current representative is Denis Ducharme, from the Progressive Conservatives.
At the federal level, the city is in the district of Westlock—St. Paul, and is the largest community in the riding. Its current representative is Brian Storseth, from the Conservative Party of Canada.
Schools
Cold Lake hosts several public schools:
- Northern Lights School District (Publicly funded)
- Grand Centre Elementary School (Preschool, K-4)
- Cold Lake Elementary School (1-4)
- Grand Centre Middle School (5-8)
- Nelson Heights School (5-9)
- Grand Centre High School (9-12, Work Experience), founded in 1972, has approximately 650 students.[6]
- R.A. Reynolds School (K-6 French, K-9 English)
- Cold Lake Off-Campus
- Lakeland Catholic School District (Publicly funded) [7]
Lakeland Catholic was the recipient of the "2005 Alberta Premier's Award for Innovation and Excellence" for their "Anti-bullying/Moral Intelligence" Initiative.
- Assumption Junior/Senior High School (Catholic) (7-12 French Immersion and English)
- MacKenzie School (Catholic) (K-6 French Immersion and English)
- St. Dominic's Elementary School (Catholic) (K-6 French Immersion and English)
- Francophone School (Publicly funded)
- Ecole Voyageur (K-12 French, Catholic)
Sports
Cold Lake has a variety of sports, including:
- Hockey (Home to the Cold Lake Ice, Junior B Team) & (Home to the Cold Lake Freeze, Minor Hockey Teams)
- Football (GCHS Royals)
- Soccer (Indoor and outdoor)
- Baseball
- Rugby
- Lacrosse[8]
- Hapkido
- Figure Skating (Cold Lake Figure Skating Club)[9]
- Figure Skating (Norlight Skating Club)
- Downhill Skiing (Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort)[10]
Air Cadet Summer Training Centre
Cold Lake is also home to the Cold Lake Air Cadet Summer Training Centre (CLACSTC). CLACSTC is situated in the heart of 4 Wing Cold Lake and hosts around five hundred Air Cadets and 200 staff members including both Cadet staff and CF officers. Courses at CLACSTC include the prestigious Senior Leaders Course (6 weeks) which comprises a wing of three squadrons, each with 3 flights of about 30 cadets, the Survival Instructor Course (6 weeks) and Introduction to Surivival Course (2 weeks), which includes roughly 300 cadets a summer and the Service Band Course (6 weeks) which includes around 30 cadets. CLACSTC is run by the Department of National Defense in conjunction with the Air Cadet League of Canada. The Service Band and Senior Leaders Course are situated on the main base, whereas the Survival Wing is situated in a more suitably wild area a small distance away from the base.
Notable Residents
- Alex Auld - NHL Goaltender for Phoenix Coyotes.
- Alex Janvier - Aboriginal Artist with work in the Canadian Museum of Civilization
References
- ^ City of Cold Lake. Mayor and Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
- ^ a b
- ^ Historical Timeline of Cold Lake
- ^ Cold Lake Minor Hockey
- ^ Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort
- ^ Grand Centre High School
- ^ Lakeland Catholic School District
- ^ Lakeland Lacrosse
- ^ Cold Lake Figure Skating Club
- ^ Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort
External links
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Lac la Biche | Fort McMurray | Cold Lake | |
| Bonnyville |  |
Meadow Lake | ||
 Cold Lake  |
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| Elk Point | Marwayne | Loon Lake |
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Subdivisions of Alberta |
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|---|---|
| Subdivisions | Regions · Census divisions · Counties and municipal districts |
| Communities | Towns · Villages · Hamlets · Indian reserves · Métis |
| Cities and Special Centres | Airdrie · Brooks · Calgary · Camrose · Cold Lake · Edmonton · Fort Saskatchewan · Grande Prairie · Leduc · Lethbridge · Lloydminster · Medicine Hat · Red Deer · Spruce Grove · St. Albert · Wetaskiwin · Fort McMurray · Sherwood Park |
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